Chapter 13, Verse 26
अन्ये त्वेवमजानन्तः श्रुत्वान्येभ्य उपासते | तेऽपि चातितरन्त्येव मृत्युं श्रुतिपरायणाः ||१३-२६||
anye tvevamajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate . te.api cātitarantyeva mṛtyuṃ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ ||13-26||
Meaning
13.26 Others also, not knowing thus, worship, having heard of It from others; they, too, cross beyond death, regarding what they have heard as the Supreme refuge.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna extends his compassion even further. Beyond the meditators, philosophers, and karma-yogis, there are simpler souls who do not grasp these subtle truths on their own but who hear them from trusted teachers and worship in faith. Taking the teaching they have received as their supreme refuge (shruti-parayanah), they too cross beyond death.
This verse is profoundly reassuring. Not everyone is called to deep contemplation or rigorous analysis. The sincere person who simply trusts the wisdom passed down, who reverently follows what the wise have taught, also attains liberation. Faith and devoted listening are themselves a valid path. Krishna thereby honours the humblest seeker. What saves is not the brilliance of one's understanding but the sincerity of one's heart and the willingness to hold the teaching as one's anchor. No earnest soul, however unlearned, is left outside the doorway to the deathless.
💡 Key Takeaway
Even simple, faithful trust in the teachings of the wise can carry a sincere heart beyond death.
Related Verses
तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् | स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु ||१३-४||
tatkṣetraṃ yacca yādṛkca yadvikāri yataśca yat . sa ca yo yatprabhāvaśca tatsamāsena me śṛṇu ||13-4||
13.4 What the field is and of what nature, what are its modifications and whence it is and also who He is and what His powers are hear all that from Me in brief.
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् | आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ||१३-८||
amānitvamadambhitvamahiṃsā kṣāntirārjavam . ācāryopāsanaṃ śaucaṃ sthairyamātmavinigrahaḥ ||13-8||
13.8 Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury, forgiveness, uprightness, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control.
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी | विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ||१३-११||
mayi cānanyayogena bhaktiravyabhicāriṇī . viviktadeśasevitvamaratirjanasaṃsadi ||13-11||
13.11 Unswerving devotion unto Me by the Yoga of non-separation, resort to solitary places, distaste for the society of men.